Gun limber



H. HERLACH Oct. 22, 1940.

GUN LIMBEH Filed Sept. 24, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I77 VETI Tor.-

n a w .H v e n H h 0 ML A h M a H Oct. 22, 1940. HERLACH 2,218,881

GUN LIMBER Filed Sept. 24, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Oct. 22, 1940 aziasu TENT OFFICE 1 Gun manna Heinrich llerlaoh Berlin-Frohnau Germany kheinmetall-Borsim Aktiengese signor to schaft. Dusseldorf, Germany, a corporation of Germany I Application September 2 In Germany 9 Claims. This invention relates to transportable carriages or limbers for gun platforms and mountings, artillery control equipment, and other heavy loads, of the kind in which the carriage or limber o has,a forked frame the limbs of which are supported on wheels for transport.

Gun mountings attachable to forked fram limbers are known in which the limbs of the forked frame constitute a coupling lever and can 9 also be used as lifting levers-to raise the mounting, in which system the limber wheels have their axles journalled on spring-supported crank arms on a cross-beam of the limber, which beam alone sustains the axle load and relieves the limbs of the fork frame therefrom. The present invention provides an improvement ,in limber systems in which the fork frame lim have the wheels directly mounted thereon an unconnected with each other. Such limbers have 20 the disadvantage that the fork frame is not suiilciently rigid during transport in loaded condition. According to the present invention a stiffening vof the limber frame in the loaded condition is obtained by producing an elastic deformation of the limbs of the fork frame about their longitubdinal axes. For this purpose stop members on I the limber frame cooperate with load-raising ,means, such as windlasses on the limber frame, to; produce the elastic deformation of the fork limbs, secured by means of lashing members. I'I'hei deformation of the fork limbs restores the: I toeing-i l or splay of the wheels which the load itself would eliminate. v 8

Examples of the invention illustrating this 35 method of deformation are shown inthe accompanying drawings, in which: I

Figure 1 shows'allmber for a in longitudinal section.

Fig. 2 shows the limber in plan. Fig. 3 is a section on the line X-Y of Fig. l, the frame being unloaded.

e line X-Y of Fig. 1

gun emplacement Fig. 4 is a section on th after the load has been hung on. I

Fig. 5 is a section on the line X-Y of Fig.1. fter the warping of the limbs of the fork.

Fig. 6 is a section on'the line x-Y of Fig. 1 I after the load'has been secured in place.

1 Fig. 7 shows the gun emplacement or platform in side elevation and partial section.

Fig. 8 shows the'gun in plan.

. Fig. 9 shows the apparatus for raising and securing the load, in longitudinal section.

emplacement on platform 551 Fig.10 shows in longitudinal section the sus- 4. 1938, Serial no. 281.598 June 15, 1987 pension of the lo frame.

Fig. 11 is a section on the frame being unloaded Fig. 12 is a section on the line Z-U of F1 after the load has been hung on.

Fig. 13 is a section on the line Z-U of Fig. 9 afterthe warping of the limbs of the fork.

Fig. 14 is a section on the line Z-U'of Fig. 9 after the load has been secured in place.

Figs. 15 and 16 show two other embodiments of the invention in side elevation and partial section, respectively.

The platform a, (see Figs. 7 to 10 and 12 to 14) which forms the load to be carried by the limber, has on both sides of its wide end hook bolts, of and at its narrow end a hook or. The limber (see Figs. 1 to 6 and 9 to 14) is a fork-shaped frame b having wheels b1, a supporting bar In in the shank member, and hoisting gear c on the ends of the fork limbs. The hoisting gear c shown (Figs. '1, 2 and 9) consists of a chain wheel or with a recess c: in its rim, chain 03, worm gear or of which the details are not shown, and a crank handle ca.

Each limb of the limber frame b also carries at its end a coupling member (1 having inclined jaws. The jaws ofthe coupling members cooperate with hooks d: toengage the stems of the hook bolts of on the platform a, which hooks d: are pivoted on the coupling members d. The coupling members d have inclined surfaces-d1 co operating with stops as on the platform, for the purpose of locating the latter relatively to the limber frame b. The hooks d: have handles provided with cams (is each of which cooperates with the recess 0: in the respective chain wheel 01.

ad at the shank end of the fork the line Z--U of Fig. 9,

- The hooks d: are locked in engaged and disengaged positions by means of lugs 05 on the handles cooperating with notches in a block 04 fixed on the limber. Near the end of each limb of the limber frame a stop e projects inwards and downwards (Figs. 1, 2 and 11 to 14), whereby the fulcrum provided by the stop is laterally spaced gain the line of pull of the Windlass chain in.the

1 a1. V The platform a is rendered mobile by means 7 of the limber b in the following way: 1

After the shank bar In of the limber has been run into the hook or of the platform and the Windlass chains e: have been attached to the hook bolts ar, the wide end of the platform a is hauled up by means of the windlasses c towards the limbs 17. The wheels b1, the original position of which is shown in Fig. 3, at first assumes the position shown in Fig. 4 as the wheel frame bends under the load. On being hoisted further up, however, the platform a strikes against the stops e in the wheel fork b- (Fig. 12). In this position the supportinghookda cannot yet be turned over supporting hook dz can now be rocked into the fast" position and the windlasses c are allowed to run back slightly as far as the cams d: in the recesses 02 (Fig. 9) will permit. In this way the windlasses c and the chains cs are relieved of the load and the stems of the hook bolts or rest in the supporting hooks dz (Fig. 14). The toe-in or splay of the wheel in, which is lost when the load is hung on,'is thus restored (Fig. 6). As the windlasses c are wound up, the stops as of the platform a. (Fig. 9) engage the inclined surfaces d1 so that the platform is aligned also longitudinally between the inclined surfaces di and tho supporting bar In of the limber.

The platform is unlimbered as follows: The windlasses c are wound up until the supporting hooks dz can be disengaged (Fig. 13). After these hooks have been swung aside, the platform a is lowered by means of the windlasses c, the chains c; are unhooked from the hook bolts (.11 and the bar In is run out of the hook az.

The platform shown in Fig. 15 is substantially the same as that of the preceding example (Figs. 1 to 14) It has, in addition, lashing bolts a4 for retaining the transverse deformation of the fork limbs b. The latter have at their ends windlasses c, supporting hooks dz, and, further inwards, the fulcrum stops e. At the shank end of the fork frame is the carrier bar bz. When limbering up, the bar in is run into the hook 412, the chains ca are hooked onto the hook bolts a1 and the wide end of the platform is drawn towards the fork limbs b by the windlasses c. The stops e come into contact with the platform a. On further turning of the windlasses the ends of the fork limbs bend elastically, as shown in a somewhat exaggerated manner in broken lines in Fig. 15. The supporting hook dz is then engaged with the lashing bolt (14, and the Windlass is allowed to run back slightly, so that the supporting hook dz takes the load. To let the platform a down, the windlasses 0 must be wound up again, so that the supporting hook dz can be disengaged. The platform a is then let down by means of the windlasses c as above.

The platform (1 shown in Fig. 16 has at its wide end on both sides carrier bolts (15 and at its narrow end lashing bolts as. The limber fork b has a prolonged lever-like tail b; and at its open end a gripper hook .174, also further inwards fulcrum stops e, as in the preceding example. To limber up the platform a, the limber fork b is run over it in such a way thatthe gripper hooks b4 engage the carrier bolts as. The tail b: is then depressed and in this waythe platform a is raised at its wide end, until it comes into contact with the stops e. The tail is then depressed further so that the limber fork b (as shown exaggerated in broken lines in Fig. 16) bends elastically until the carrier' hook d4 can engage the lashing bolts do. In this case also the limber fork b is elastically deformed towards the platform a with the help of the stops 6. It would, of course, be possible to arrange the stops 6 in this example in a manner similar to that of the first example (Figs. 1 to 14) so that the limbs of the Harbor fork b are warped about their longitudinal axis.

. transport wheels independently mounted on the limbs of the fork and adapted to carry a load, comprising means for raising the load into transport position on the limber, means between said load and fork-shaped frame providing fulcrum contact which is transversely spaced from the line of action of the load-raising means whereby the fork frame receives transverse elastic deformation during the raising of the load to transport position, and means for securing the load to the limber with the frame of the latter thus deformed.

2. A limber having a fork-shaped frame with transport wheels independently mounted on the limbs of the fork and adapted tocarry a load, comprising means for raising the load into transport position on the limber, means between said load and fork-shaped frame providing fulcrum contact which is transversely spaced from the line of action of the load-raising means whereby the fork frame receives transverse elastic deformation during the raising of the load to transport position, and means comprising hook couplings for securing the load to the limber with the frame of the latter thus deformed.

3. A limber having a fork-shaped frame with transport wheels independently mounted on the limbs of the fork and adapted to carry a load, comprising means on each limb of the forkshaped frame for raising the load into transport position, a stop member on each of said limbs, said stop members being arranged to engage the load before the complete raising of the latter at points laterally displaced from the points of engagement of the raising means with said load, whereby the fork frame receives a transverse elastic deformation when the load is in transport position, and means for securing the load to the limber with the frame of the latter so deformed.

4. A limber according to claim 3, in which the securing means comprise a coupling plate in each limb of the fork frame, said plate having jaws at its lower end, a hook pivoted to the coupling plate, and a bolt on the load arranged to enter said jaws and be held therein by said hook.

5. A limber having a forkhaped frame with transport wheels independently mounted on the limbs of the fork and adapted to carry a load, comprising means for raising the load into transport position on the limber; means between said load and fork-shaped frame providing fulcrum contact which is transversely spaced from the line of action of the load-raising means whereby the fork frame receives transverse elastic deformation during the raising of the load to transport position, means for securing the load to the limber with the frame of the latter thus deformed, and means for longitudinally aligning the load with each limb of the fork'frame during the raising of the load to transport position.

formed on the securing means and stops on the load cooperating with said surfaces.

7. A limber according to claim 3, in which a gun platform is provided having a wide end which is suspended from the fork limbs for transport, and a narrow end suspensible from the shank end of the fork frame.

8. A limber according to claim 3, in which the raising means comprise a Windlass on each limb of the fork frame.

9. A limber having a fork-shaped frame with transport wheels independently mountedon the limbs of the fork and adapted to carry a load, comprising an extensionof the shank end of the fork-shaped frame forming a lifting lever for the load, a platform for the load, means comprising cooperating parts on said platform and limbs for suspending the platform from the limber frame, said parts being interengageable by tilting the limber frame on its wheels over the platform while the latter is on the ground,fulcrum stops operative between said limbs and said platform at points spaced from said suspending means, and securing means including cooperating members on said platform and fork frame located near the shank end of the latter, said members being interengageable only when the fork limbs have been elastically deformed by action on said lifting lever.

HEINRICH HERLACH. 

